Many experts believe alcoholism and drug addiction are on the rise. It has become a menace not only to individuals and their loved ones but their employers and society as a whole. The problems and damage that drug and alcohol abuse cause are not trivial when it occurs in the workplace.
In case you missed it, a plurality of Americans are using or abusing alcohol and prohibited drugs and even when it’s an addiction around 70% of them are employed. alcoholism and drug dependence are the main culprits for at least $81 billion that American companies lose each year.
Drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace are many time triggers for major company issues:
- High incidence of accidents and injuries
- Fatalities (fatal accidents)
- Absenteeism
- Loss of production or profitability
These are negative business outcomes that can be devastating to a company. Enforcing sobriety in your workplace is a simple, straight forward pillar for productivity and profit.
To avoid or minimize these types of losses within your enterprise, you may want to plan towards a screening policy that emcompasses drugs and or alcohol.
Why Employers Should Conduct Random Drug Testing in the Workplace
Because of the prevalence of alcoholism and drug abuse in many sectors of our present society, it is only practical for employers like you to make random drug and alcohol testing in the workplace a part of your company policy. There are dozens of good reasons why it is impactful. Among these are:
- Despite its prevalence in the labor sector, the gravity of illegal drug use is difficult to determine because users can hide their addiction very well. If left undetected, it will likely lead to consequences that are detrimental to employers:
- An employee under the influence causes an accident and injures himself and or fellow workers.
- An employee who goes on extended sick leave due to drug overdose can trigger added cost as you have to recruit and train another worker to take his place.
- Drug abuse can become a “norm” especially with your workers on the graveyard shift. The presence of workers under the influence makes your workplace a more dangerous place where people are more likely to injure themselves or others, and cause damage to your equipment or property.
- Without random drug testing, you may face decreased odds of safety for employees and customers, while experiencing increased odds of damage to your equipment from damage.
- Random drug testing in the workplace discourages workers from using illegal drugs and will likely reduce drug-related incidents and associated losses.
- Drug testing is a way to encourage sobriety in the workplace. The possibility of being picked for random drug testing does impact the percentage of employees who choose to use or try using prohibited substances.
- Drug testing can alert you that a person is using prohibited drugs. It’s the compliant way to identify those using illegal substances in the workplace and reveal the potential danger of accidents, damage or unwanted costs or consequences within your organization. It may also inform you who among your employees may need help or disciplinary action or spur an employee to ask for the assistance they may need in overcoming or treating a particular issue or potential addiction.
As an employer, you know that a safe and efficient workplace is an important element of a harmonious, productive and cost-effective business operation. To achieve this goal, you may wish to consider implementing a well rounded drug and or alcohol screening policy and procedure. Want to make it possible? You may want to start by choosing an industry leader in drug and alcohol screening within the workplace. We are here to help!
Call us at (321) 725-0009 or 888-222-7011 for efficient and cost-effective drug and alcohol testing services.
